Journal of clinical immunology
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Natural killer (NK) cell alloreactions against recipient cells in the setting of bone marrow transplantation have been associated with decreased rates of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and improved survival in transplant recipients with myeloid leukemia. These alloreactions are predicted by the absence of recipient HLA class I ligands for donor inhibitory killer Ig-like receptors (KIR). We hypothesized that donor NK cell alloreactions against recipient cells may affect the development of T and B-cell functions and incidence of GVHD in infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). ⋯ Analysis showed that the absence of a KIR ligand had no effect on the incidence or severity of GVHD (RR [corrected] = 0.95, p = 0.84), development of T-cell function (RR [corrected] = 1.05, p = 0.69), production of IgA (p = 0.46) or IgM (p = 0.33), or on 5-year survival (RR [corrected] = 1.21, p = 0.10). Further, in patients possessing native NK cells, the absence of KIR ligands in donors for recipient-inhibitory KIR did not alter transplantation outcomes. This study suggests that inhibitory KIR/HLA interactions do not play a significant role in bone marrow transplantation for SCID.